Secrets
by Mickeyo14
Summary: A masquerade ball. The most beautiful woman he's ever met is betrothed to his cousin. Being forced to marry someone his friend loves. Nobody listening to what he has to say. Tons of pressure poured onto his shoulders. Life changing decisions. Just another ordinary day in the life of Perseus Jackson.
1. Chapter 1

**I know it's been done so many times before, but here's my twist on it. Sorry it's a little OOC.**

 **Hope you like.**

* * *

Percy's p.o.v,

I stood there anxiously awaiting the arrival of my cousins, Thalia and Jason Grace, along with their fiancés. Growing up, I would always be excited to see my cousins. Today, I was terrified. Both my cousins were bringing their betrothed to a ball my family was hosting in our kingdom. The ball was were I would be forced to choose a suitor. My cousins were the last guests to arrive. I was one step closer to my life changing forever.

My aunt and uncle were very controlling, so they set up arranged marriages for both my cousins. I did not know who they were betrothed to until they stepped out of the carriage.

"Introducing Prince Luke Castellan of Nuntius and Princess Thalia Grace of Olympia," said the announcer, signaling the arrival of my older cousin. I watched as the two stepped put of the second carriage. They both looked rather uncomfortable. Growing up, Thalia and Luke had always been great friends. However, a few years ago they drifted apart for some reason.

The third carriage opened. "Introducing Prince Jason Grace of Olympia and Princess Annabeth Chase of Athens."

 _Annabeth_. I never would have guessed that she would marry Jason. I never knew Annabeth very well, but we were friends when we were little. During meetings of the 12 united countries, while our parents were discussing and arguing, we would play together. But that was a long time ago. She probably didn't even remember me. Despite all that, I couldn't help noticing how good she looked. Whenever we saw each other when we were younger, I always thought she was pretty, but now she started to look seriously beautiful.

I shook those crazy thoughts out of my mind and stepped forward to greet everyone and welcome them to my kingdom, Corinth.

* * *

Even at dinner, thoughts about Annabeth invaded my mind. I didn't know why. It wasn't like I liked her or anything. She was engaged to Jason, my cousin. Still I couldn't get her out of my mind. I tried to push the thoughts out by joining in the conversations around me. Unfortunately, they were all about the upcoming dance. Thinking about that was much worse.

Tomorrow I would be expected to choose the total stranger I was to spend the rest of my life with. It was horrible. Luckily for me, however, I got to choose. In the other 11 countries that were part of our alliance, parents arranged marriages for most of their children with someone from another kingdom. However, my parents were kind enough to let me have a masked ball where I would choose someone. I was terrified.

Not only did I have to choose a stranger to marry, but I also had to pick someone good and trustworthy. Being the only heir to the throne of Corinth, I was to become king, so my future wife had to be a good ruler. I was responsible for their actions, and if my future wife was horrible, it was on me.

I had never had so mush pressure on me before. All my life everything has been done for me, but now it was all changing. I was going to be in charge, and it was terrifying.

* * *

Morning came all too quickly. I had hardly slept, even though I was completely drained. I considered trying to take a nap, but my idea was quickly shut down when I looked at my schedule for the day. There was absolutely no free time before the ball. All day I was to be fitted for my suit or help with planning the ball or speak with our guests and do so much more. I was tired just looking at the piece of paper planning out my day. I dragged myself out of my warm bed and into the shower.

After bathing and breakfast was outfit fitting. Then, I was to check the ball preparations. Finally, there was about an hour before the ball, and I was left to chat lightly with my cousins Jason and Nico, Jason's friend Leo, Luke, and my friends Frank and Grover. We all knew each other from when we were younger and would go to royal meetings with our parents, but other than that never really had time for real friends outside our own kingdoms. It was nice to see them, though.

We spent awhile talking and before I knew it, the ball had begun.

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 **That's it! It was short, but** **the next chapter will be longer.**

 **Sorry about the mistakes**

 **Please review, give ideas, advice, anything works. Thanks**

 **Hope you liked it.**

 **-Mickey**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who has read my story so far. I know, the first chapter was not the best, but I'll try to make it better as I go** **along. I have a lot of ideas for this story, and I hope you enjoy.** **Sorry about any mistakes.**

 **You may have noticed I changed the title, but I didn't really like the other one. It doesn't really go with the story.**

 **Reviews:**

 **SunlitSky21- thank you for reviewing. I'm new to writing stuff like this, so my writing is not very good. Thanks for the advice, though. I'll work on doing what you said.**

 **Aqua Jackson- Thanks for reviewing. Nico is not betrothed to anyone, and I'm not really sure what I will do with him. I think I might do something like what you said about having a girl Will, but i'm not sure. If you have any ideas, please tell me**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, I wish I did, but I don't**

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"Annabeth, I was thinking." Jason said as he turned towards his betrothed in the hallway. The ball would be in a few hours, and they wouldn't see each other until then, so he figured that he should tell her his thoughts now.

"Yes?" She said, turning to face him.

"Well," Jason lowered his voice. "This is most likely our last night to be social before we're married. I was thinking, well, I thought it would be nice to actually, you know, do what we want for once. Umm-I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't think we should dance together." He looked at her with a slight fear of getting scolded or lectured, but instead she smiled.

"I think that's a great idea."

"Really? We'll be wearing masks, so no one will know. I think that we should both do whatever we want tonight, and try to have fun for once in our lives." Jason was ecstatic. Something was finally about to go right in his life.

"Great! It'll be our little secret." Annabeth whispered excitedly. She gave him a quick hug, then turned to go get ready for the ball.

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Annabeth focused on not tripping over her beautiful midnight blue gown as she descended the narrow, spiraling staircase into the ball room. She spotted Jason below, wearing a midnight blue tux to match her outfit. He was standing by a table covered with food, and was talking to a girl in a light pink gown. She began to make her way to him, but was stopped by a man in a flaming-red tux. "Care to dance?" he said. Against her better judgement, she obliged, even though she had a feeling she would soon regret it.

It turned out, the man, named Leo, could actually dance. He however left after about two songs to go flirt with some other girls. After he left, Annabeth found that she had no idea what to do. She was used to being told what to do and how to do everything. After wandering around, she found herself standing near Thalia, who was talking with some other girls. One of the girls was the one in a pink flowing dress she saw talking to Jason. There was also a girl in a short green dress, someone in a long deep purple silk dress with one sleeve, a younger-looking girl in a gold and purple dress, and someone in a blue and green dress. All of them were wearing masks to match their outfits and hide their identities. Annabeth joined in their conversation.

When the conversation shifted to boys at the dance, Annabeth found herself wandering away from the group. She spotted Jason and walked up to him. "How's it going?"

"It's not at all what I thought it would be like," he said.

"Same here"

"Have you danced with anyone?"

"Just that scrawny Leo guy." Jason laughed. "What about you?"

"A few girls. Theres one girl I talked to that seemed really nice, but I haven't gotten to dance with her."

"Then go ask her!"

"I don't know where she is."

"What does she look like?"

"She's wearing a pink gown." Annabeth pointed him in the right direction, and he left. She found herself standing alone again, without an idea of what to do.

After wandering around like a lost puppy, she found some guy standing alone near the food table and approached him. She tried talking to him, and at first it was rather awkward, but eventually, they started talking like they were old friends. Annabeth was finally enjoying herself.

She learned that his name was Frank, he was a knight in Corinth and friend to the prince. He also worked with animals and was a child of Mars, the king of the country Vellum. Annabeth also learned that he had a huge crush on a girl at the ball named Hazel, but was too afraid to ask her to dance. After what felt like an eternity of trying to persuade him to talk to her, he finally agreed, and Annabeth was left alone yet again.

She sighed when she looked at the large clock on the wall. It was only eleven thirty. There was still three and a half hours left of the ball. She thought about sneaking out and going to her room. However, when she left, she was found and her plan was foiled.

She had run into someone in the dimly lit hallway. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No, ma'am, It was my fault." The stranger had a deep voice. He sounded urgent, like he needed to get away from Annabeth as soon as he could. His tone changed when he spoke again, though. "Say, what's a beautiful lady like yourself doing in this dark hallway?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"You could ask me what a beautiful lady like myself was doing in this hallway? Thank you, but I prefer to be called a handsome man. Do I look like a lady to you?"

Annabeth blushed and stifled a slight laugh. "That's not what I meant—"

"What, are you saying I'm not beautiful?"

"That's not what I meant either."

"Oh well. So, you never answered my question. Shouldn't you be off dancing with the prince or something." He sounded mad or annoyed about that last part.

"Well, honestly, I'm trying to leave the ball."

"So soon?" His voice was playful again. Something about talking with this stranger seemed so comfortable, so natural. "Are you not enjoying this lovely ball?"

"Well, I'm rather tired and I—"

"It's okay," he confessed. "I'm not having a great time either. I was trying to escape, maybe get some fresh air. Wanna come?"

Annabeth decided she had nothing better to do, so she followed him.

* * *

The cool, fresh air felt amazing after being in the stuffy ballroom. In the moonlight, Annabeth could see that the stranger had bright sea-green eyes peering at her through his blue and black mask. He was tall and looked very formal in his black tux and blue tie. They stood together, leaning out over the railing, looking at the rolling ocean below. They began to talk, and continued talking for most of the night. Annabeth felt like she could tell him anything, and she didn't even know his name.

Music played faintly in the background, coming in from the ballroom. They began to dance, and it was likely the best time she has had in a while. For once, she felt wanted, like she belonged.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Please review or PM me with any ideas, advice, anything**

 **Thanks!**

 **-Mickey**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm so sorry I haven't updated recently, but I've been working a lot on my other stories and school and sports and it's a lot, but I'll work on it.**

 **I promise I will update again later this week!**

 **I'm sorry this is a little short and not that great, but I hope you like it any way.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

* * *

"So, wait, you have how many brothers?"

"Five," Annabeth said laughing.

"That must be great,"

"No way! They are so loud, smelly, and annoying." Annabeth informed the green-eyed stranger she had been dancing with.

After trying to escape the crowded ball room, she found him and he took her out to the deck they were standing on. She was having the best time in her life, and she did not even know his name. Somehow, it seemed right. They did not know each other's names, but they had a connection like no other, as if they had known each other all their lives.

"I'm an only child, and I would love to have a sibling."

"Not mine," Annabeth said laughing again. What was w/rong with her? She had never laughed so much in her life. She ignored her thoughts and continued swaying to the music and listening to the stranger's soft voice.

"At least having siblings means you don't have all this pressure on you. Everything I do has to be perfect. If I had a sibling I'm sure it wouldn't be nearly as bad. You're lucky"

"Not that lucky," she said quietly.

"So, what is… you're favorite food?" Green-eyes asked Annabeth.

"Food?"

"Yeah!"

"Umm," she said while thinking. She had never really thought about it.

The two strangers talked and danced the night away. Annabeth learned that Green-eyes had an obsession with blue chocolate chip cookies ( "Why blue?" she asked. "Why not?" he said), he loved horses and swimming, he was also great at sword fighting and has always wanted to be a knight. They learned so much about each other, and they did not even know each other's names.

"It has been wonderful being with you this evening, much better than dancing with all those clingy girls in there. May I ask your name?"

"Annabeth," she informed him. "And you?"

"Percy,"

"Percy, like _prince_ Perseus?"

"Yeah, thats me"

"But aren't you supposed to be choosing a suitor tonight?"

"Well, yes,"

"Then why aren't you?"

"I've been dancing with girls all night, none are the same, and they're mostly all nice, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life with any one of them. I had to escape from it all. I came out here and had the best time I have had in a while. Thank you. You are like the best friend I never had.

"I wish that we could live our lives for ourselves for once. I hate how much were controlled by our parents. I wish we could change the rules."

"Me too. But you and I both know that we can't." Annabeth said mournfully.

"Can we meet again? Maybe tomorrow night?" Percy asked her eagerly.

"I'd love to. When will you choose?"

"Tomorrow, and I'm going to choose Rachel to marry me."

"Oh," Annabeth tried to not feel jealous. She remembered that Percy and Rachel had been friends for a while. Of course he would choose her. "Well, I should go," she said. She couldn't shake the feeling of being let down yet again.

"Oh, um, I'll see you later then."

She nodded and walked briskly back inside and slipped down a side corridor, needing to put as much space as she could between her and Perseus. She did _not_ have feelings for him, she told herself as she made her way silently to her room.

 _He's getting engaged, and you're engaged already, even if you did like him, it wouldn't work. And theres no way he would like you anyway._ But despite her thinking this, she couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach and thinking about his soft hands holding her, or his beautiful eyes.

No, she _did not_ like him. She could _not._

She undressed and collapsed on her giant, much too soft bed, trying to clear her thoughts. She eventually stopped all her protests and let the sweet thoughts of her night with Percy fill her brain.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face.


End file.
